South Sudan say Mohamed Salah’s absence will not affect Egypt qualifier

South Sudan Football Association president Francis Amin says Mohamed Salah’s presence or absence will not make a significant difference when his side face Egypt in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Egypt are due to play South Sudan in the second round of qualifying on Tuesday, 29 September, with kick-off scheduled for 16:00.

“The match tomorrow is a meeting between brothers and we hope it will be an enjoyable game,” Amin told Modern Sport. “The match against Egypt cannot be shared and we are ready for the challenge.”

South Sudan lost their opening qualifier against Malawi, with Amin blaming individual errors for the defeat. He said the team had since completed its preparations for the visit of Egypt.

“We are fully prepared for Egypt after losing to Malawi because of individual mistakes,” he added.

Amin said South Sudan had hoped Salah would be involved but insisted the team would not be overawed by the Egypt captain’s reputation.

“We wished Mohamed Salah would be present for the match, but his presence or absence will not make a big difference because we do not believe in names and numbers; we believe in hard work,” he said.

Salah will miss the fixture after being rested by Egypt because the match is being played on an artificial-turf pitch.

The South Sudan official also reported strong interest in the game, saying all tickets had been sold and that the stadium was expected to be full.

“All the tickets for the match have been sold,” Amin said. “We were surprised by the number of Egyptian supporters in South Sudan, and the stadium will be full.”

He added that South Sudan remained focused on developing its national team.

“We are in the process of building the South Sudan national team. We have a plan to develop the national teams and we are continuing with it,” he said.

The match will be played on Tuesday, 29 September, at 16:00 and will be broadcast on beIN Sport 1. Ali Mohamed Ali will provide commentary.

Egypt and South Sudan have met only once previously. That fixture was a friendly in 2023, which Egypt won 3-0.

Egypt are in Group B of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Angola, Malawi and South Sudan.